Knock-down shelving unit



Aug. 28, 1956 Filed Aug. 16, 1954 N. H. FRANKS xNoCK-DOWN SHELVING UNIT3 Sheets-Sheet l ATTRNEY.

Aug. 28, 1956 N. H. FRANKS 2,760,650

KNocx-DOWN SHELVING UNIT Filed Aug- 15, 1954 3 Sheefs-Sheet 2 I EN TOR.'

ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 2s, 1956 Filed Aug. 16, 1954 N. H. FRANKS KNOCK-DOWN SHELVING UNIT3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ijf ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent' KNOCK-DOWN SHELVING UNIT N orvin H. Franks,Chicago, Ill.

Application August 16, 1 954, Serial No. 449,835

6 Claims. (Cl. 211-148) This invention relates to a knock-down shelvingunit and more particularly to a shelving unit which can be easilyassembled and disassembled without the use kof tools.

It is `one of the objects of the present invention to provide aknock-down shelving un-it which can easily and quickly be assembled anddisassembled with-out Ithe use of any tools and which is extremelystrong and rigid when assembled.'

Another object is to provide a shelving unit formed basically by uprightcorner posts connected at the top and bottom by top and bottom shelfunits which are secured to the corner posts by a wedging action and withintermediate shelves supported by the corner posts in desired positions.

According to one feature of the invention, the shelf units are formedwith square end surfaces to abut flat against the sides of the cornerposts and are drawn securely against -t-he corner posts by wedging typesupports.

According to another feature, the wedging effect is produced by oatinghook members carried by the posts and engaging the shelf units so thatpressure at the corner post surfaces is equalized at opposite sides andan extremely rigid joint is provided.

A further object is to provide a shelving unit -in which the shelves maybe divided into separated compartments t by divider strips detachablysecured to the shelves.

According to one feature, the divider strips are lheldV by sheet metalholders which clamp over slats .of which the shelves are formed `orwhich may iit between adjacent slats Vat right angles thereto.

The above and other objects will become apparent from the followingdescription when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,which serve merely to illustrate the invention. iIn the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of a complete shelf u-nit embodying theinvention;

Figure 2 is a partial enlarged section on the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a partial section on the line 3 3 of Figure 2;

IFigure 4 is a disassembled view of a corner showing the jointconstruction;

lFigure 5 is a partial section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1 showing themounting of an intermediate shelf;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the intermediate shelf support;

Figure 8 is a partial section through a shelf showing mounting ofdivider .holders thereon in two positions; and

Figure 9 is a perspective View of a divider holder. Y

The complete unit, as best shown in Figure '1, is formed by corner postsindicated generally at l10 which, as best seen in Figure 2, are formedof sheet metal of a channel section to provide a at face or web 11, atends '12at right angles to the face 11 and inwardly turned angs 13'atthe edges of the ends 12. The corner posts 10 ice may be made of anydesired length depending upon the height of the shelving unit desiredand the number of intermediate shelves to be carried thereby. As shownin Figure 1, only `one intermediate shelf is present, although it will-be understood that in a normal installation not only the top and bottomshelf units, but also a plurality of intermediate shelves would beemployed.

The corner posts 10 are connected at their upper and lower ends by upperand lower shelf units 1'4 Iwhich may be identical. Each of the shelfunits 1'4 is formed by outer wooden side and end members 15 meeting atright angles and joined at their corners by connecting members. Theshelves are completed by spaced slats 16 secured between the sidemembers to provide a supporting surface for articles to be stored.

-As best seen in Figure 2, the side and end members are formed withsquare ends which terminate spaced from each other to overlie and abutagainst the face `11 and one end E12 lof the adjacent corner posts. Theend and sid-e members are connected by a sheet metal connecting .partincluding an outer strip 17 extending over the outer face of the sidemembers and over the ends thereof to abut squarely against the cornerpost `10. The connecting part is completed by an inner angle strip '18fitting in the internal angle between the adjacent side and end strips`15 and secured to the strips and to the :outer con Inecting part 17 bybolts, or the like, shown a-t 119. The connecting parts 1'7 and y18 areformed intermediate their ends with registering openings 21 at the apexof the angle so that the openings will register with the corner of acorner post when the parts are assembled. The openings 21 divide theconnecting parts into an upper portion 20a and a lower portion 20h toprovide a double wedging connection as described hereinafter.

To secure the parts together, the corner posts 10 are lformed -at theapex of the angle between t-he face 1-1 and the end surfaces 12 withvertically spaced openings 22. The uppermost opening 22 may registerwith the opening 21 in the connecting part when the par-ts are assembledand the lowermost opening may register with the lower edge 4of theconnecting portion 20b, as best seen in Figure 3.

A hook member indicated generally at 20 is provided formed with a flatelongated shank 23 to t into the hollow corner post and with projectinghook portions 24 projecting outward from the shank intermediate its endsand then upward in the form of hook projections 24a. The hook portions24 are of a length less than the lengthv of the openings 21 and 22 toextend through the openings 21 and 22. The hook projections are formedwith inner wedgng surfaces 25 extending upwardly at an acute angle tothe shank 23 to receive and hold the connecting portions 20a and 20bformed by the strips 17 and 18. To assemble the parts the hook membersare inserted in the upper and lower ends of the corner posts with thehook portions 24 projecting through the openings 22 and the hookprojections 24a facing upwardly. The upper and lower shelf members maythen be placed between the corner posts with the lower edges of theconnecting portions 20b tting into the lower hook 24 and with the upperhook extending through the openings 21 and receiving the connectingportions 20a. When the shelf units are pressed downward they will bewedged inward `toward the corner posts by the angular surfaces 25 todraw the connecting part 17 and the square ends of the side and endstrips 15 tightly against the adjacent surfaces of the corner posts.Since the hook can turn or oat freely, the pressures between thesurfaces at each corner will be equalized s o that a uniform and securegripping effect is provided. The connecting parts and the corner eralinches, so that the surfaces will press against each other and providean extremely rigid and sturdy joint. At the same time, the completeassembly can be put together without the use of any tools and can easilybe disassembled without the use of tools.

It is to be noted that the vertically spaced hook portions 24a and 24.1:engage the connecting portions V20a and Zllb at points spacedlongitudinally of the corner posts to provide a very rigid assemblywhich will not sway or rock easily and which has a very large loadcarrying capacity.

Alternatively to the method of assembly described above, thc shelf unitscan be positioned between the posts and the hook members inserted fromthe shelf side with the upper hook portion 24 extending through theopen- "l ing 21 and one of the openings 22 and the lower hook portion 24extending through the next lower opening 22 with the projections 24afacing down. In this position the lower edges of the connecting portions20a and 2Gb engage the flat ends ofthe hook portions 24 and the wedgingsurfaces 25 engage the inner surfaces of the post 1li at the lower endsof the openings 22 to draw the parts together in the same manner as inthe first type of installation described above.

Between the upper and lower shelf units 14, any desired number ofintermediate shelves, indicated generally at 26, may be mounted. Theintermediate shelves are formed in much the same manner as the upper andlower shelves with front and back wooden strips 27 and side strips orslats 2S. The front and bach strips 27' may be rigidly connected by aplurality of spaced intermediate slats 29 to complete a shelf upon whicharticles can be supported.

The intermediate shelves 26 are preferably notched at the corners asindicated at 26a to lit against the corner posts, as best seen in Figure5. To support the intermediate shelves in any one of a plurality ofdesiredpositions, each corner post is formed in its end surfaces withvertically spaced sets of slots 3l.. Each set of slots, as best seen inFigures 1 and 5, comprises a pair of sideby-sidc vertically elongatedopenings. The slots are adapted to receive supporting brackets of thetype best shown in Figures 6 and 7 which are formed of sheet metal bentto provide a main U-scction body 32 of triangular contour with the hookmembers 33 extending from the ends of the body sides. Preferably theedges of the body sides may be bent over, as shown at 34, to provideflat outwardly extending anges upon which the shelves may rest. Toassemble the supports on the corner posts a support may be turnedupwardly with the flanges 34 llat against the end surface 12 of thecorner post and the hook members 33 may be inserted through slots 31 inthe posts. The support may then be turned down to the position shown inFigures and 6 in which its lower edge portion abuts against the end 12of the corner post and the hook members 33 grip the internal surface ofthe corner post to prevent accidental removal of the support. Supportscan easily and quickly be attached to the corner posts at desiredpositions after which interposts being common to two units.

mediate shelves 26 can be placed thereon and will be4 securely heldwithout requiring the use of any tools to complete the assembly.

In many cases, it may be desired to divide the shelf surface intocompartments to receive different types of articles. This may beaccomplished by utilizing relatively thin flat dividers, such asconventional fiber board, or the like, supported by holders, as shown inFigures 8 and 9. The holders may be attached to the shelves in either oftwo reversed right angular positions so that they will hold dividersextending at right angles to each other and separating the shelf surfaceinto separate cornpartments.

As shown, each divider holder is formed of sheetvmetal with llat topsurfaces 35 to rest on the top of Va slat 29, as shown at the left ofFigure 8, and with upwardly rebent portions 36 spaced to receive betweenthem a divider panel, as indicated in dot-dash lines at 37 in Figure 8.Side flanges 38 extend downwardly from the outer edges of the surfaces35 and may, it desired, be formed with pressed-in teeth 39 to grip thesides of the slats. The holders are made of such a size as to fit over aSlat, as shown at the left in Figure 8, and to grip it securely so thatthey can easily be pressed on to the slats where it is desired and holddividers 37 in the required position.

For mounting the holders in the reverse position, as shown at the rightof Figure S, the side flanges 38 are made of a length to tit betweenadjacent slats and may be formed on their ends with relatively sharpteeth to bite into and grip the surfaces of the slats. The body portions35 and central rebent portions 36 are longer than the space betweenadjacent slats to span the slats, as shown. With this construction, theholders can be pressed onto a shelf into either of two right angularpositions and will securely grip the shelf to hold divider stripsthereon. i

The shelf unit of the present invention can easily be packaged orshipped in disassembled condition and can be set up at the desired pointof use easily and quickly without requiring any tools. When set up, theunit is extremely strong and rigid and will support very substantialweights in a rigid fashion without any wobbling or weaving. When shelfunits are to be moved they can easily be disassembled by hand andre-erected at any other desired point.

By providing the openings 22 at both corners of the posts where sides 11and ends 12 join and by providing the slots 31 in both ends 12 of eachpost the shelving units of the invention can be erected as continuousmultiple units with each post except the extreme end Thus by mountinghook members at two corners of each post, two top and bottom shelf unitscan be secured to each post so that a continuous multiple unit assemblyis provided. Also by mounting supporting brackets on both end walls 12of each post, intermediate'shelves can be supported at each side of eachpost. In this way, a single assembly of any `desired size can be builtup in a unitary structure.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described indetail, it will be understood that this is illustrative only and is notto be taken as a definition of the scope of the invention, referencebeing had for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A knock-down shelving unit comprising a hollow post of sheet materialof rectangular section havinga pair of vertically spaced openings in onecorner, a hook member including an elongated straight shank of a lengthto span two openings litting in the hollow post at said corner and apair of spaced hook portions shorter than the openings and projectingthrough the openings respecltively, and a connecting part having llatsides meeting .at a right angle to lit against said corner of the postand formed with vertically spaced web portions at the intersection ofthe sides to fit into the hook portions y respectively.

2. A knock-down shelving unit comprising a hollow post of sheet materialof rectangular section having a pair Vof vertically spaced openings inone corner, a hook member including an elongated straight shank of alength to Aspan two .openings fitting in the hollow post at said cornerand a pair of spaced hook portions shorter `than the openings andprojecting through the openings respectively, and la connecting parthaving at sides meeting at a right ,angle to fit against said corner ofthe post and formed with an-ope-ning therein to receive the upperhookportion, the lower edge of the connecting part fitting into the lowerhook portion.

3. A knock-.down kshelving unit comprising a hollow ysheet metal posthaving angularly related sides and having a .series of spaced openingstherethrough adjacent to the juncture 0f the sides, a wnnectns platehaving angulavrly related side portions lying at the same angle to eachother as the sides of the post and fitting face-to-face against thesides of the post and formed with at least one opening therethroughregistering with an opening through the post, and a hook member havingan elongated shank to span at least two openings in the post and havingtwo spaced hook portions intermediate its ends of a length less than thelength of and passing through the openings in the post and theconnecting plate, the hook portions having inner wedging surfaces atacute angles to the shank and converging to a minimum spacing from theshank less than the combined thickness of the post and the connectingplate to wedge the plate and post tightly together at two points spacedlongitudinally of the post.

4. A knock-down shelving unit comprising a post of sheet metal havingtwo flat sides lying at an angle to each other and connected together atan elongated straight juncture, there being a series of spaced openingsthrough the post at the juncture, a unitary connecting plate having flatside portions lying at the same angle to each other as the sides of thepost tting face to face against the sides of the post and formed with atleast one opening therethrough at the juncture of the side portionsregistering with an opening through the post and forming at the junctureof the side portions two edges spaced apart the same distance ascorresponding parts of the openings in the post, and a hook memberhaving an elongated shank of a length to span two openings in the postand two hook portions spaced longitudinally of the shank the samedistance as corresponding parts of the openings in the post andprojecting from the shank intermediate its ends and of a length lessthan the length of and passing through the openings in the post andconnecting plate, the hook member lying at an acute angle to the sidesof the post and the side portions of the connecting plate, the hookportions having inner wedging surfaces at acute angles to the shank andconverging to a minimum spacing from the shank less than the combinedthickness of the post and the connecting plate to wedge the connectingplate and the post tightly together at two points spaced longitudinallyof the post.

5. A knock-down shelving unit comprising a post of sheet metal havingtwo at sides lying at an angle to each other and connected together atan elongated straight juncture, there being a series of spaced openingsthrough the post at the juncture, a unitary connecting plate having tlatside portions lying at the same angle to each other as the sides of thepost tting face to face against the sides of the post and formed with atleast one opening therethrough at the juncture of the side portionsregistering with an opening through the post and forming at the junctureof the side portions two edges spaced apart the same distance ascorresponding parts of the openings in the post, and a hook memberhaving an elongated shank of a length to span two openings in the postand two hook portions spaced longitudinally of the shank the samedistance as corresponding parts of the openings in the post andprojecting from the shank intermediate its ends and of a length lessthan the length of and passing through the openings in the post andconnecting plate, the hook member lying at an acute angle to the sidesof the post and the side portions of the connecting plate, the shank ofthe hook member lying in theconcave angle between the sides of the posivwith the hook portions projecting through the openings in the post andextending upward to receive said edges of the connecting plate, the hookportions having inner wedgingsurfaces at acute angles to the shank andconverging to a minimum spacing from the shank less than the combinedthickness of the post and connecting plate to wedge the connecting plateand the post tightly together at two points spaced longitudinally of thepost.

6. A knock-down shelving unit comprising a hollow post of sheet metal ofchannel section with flat sides joined by a web at an angle to the sidesand having a series of spaced openings adjacent to the juncture of eachof the sides and the web, a unitary connecting plate having flat sideportions lying at the same angle to each other as the sides and web ofthe post and fitting face to face against the web and one of the sidesof the post and formed with at least one opening therethrough at thejuncture of the side portions registering with an opening through thepost and defining two edges spaced apart the same distance ascorresponding parts of adjacent openings in a series in the post, and ahook member having an elongated shank of a length to span at least twoopenings in a series in the post and having two hook portions spacedlongitudinally of the shank intermediate its ends the same distance ascorresponding parts of the openings in the post and of a length lessthan and passing through the openings in the post and the connectingplate, the hook member lying at an acute angle to the sides of the postand the side portions of the connecting plate, the hook portions havinginner wedging surfaces at acute angles to the shank and converging to aminimum spacing from the shank less than the combined thickness of thepost and connecting plate to Wedge the connecting plate and the posttightly togeher at two points spaced longitudinally of the post, eachpost being adapted to receive connecting plates at each side of its webwhereby a series of connected shelving units can be formed.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 966,002Fricke Aug. 2, 1910 1,050,154 Martin Jan. 14, 1913 1,337,340 BradleyApr. 20, 1920 1,508,610 OConnor Sept. 16, 1924 1,544,251 Lyding June 30,1925 1,653,665 Rubin Dec. 27, 1927 1,917,917 Bales July 11, 19331,952,111 Bales Mar. 27, 1934 1,962,396 Katz et al. June 12, 19342,280,371 Bishop Apr. 21, 1942 2,500,309 Dunham Mar. 14, 1950 2,677,470Catalano May 4, 1954 2,681,786 Sparring June 22, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS495,719 Great Britain Nov. 18, 1938

